Vampire's Kiss
by Calique Star
Summary: A new visitor to Hogwarts brings not just heartache but a secret identity that could end the war for good...
1. Chapter 1 Return to the Past

She looked at herself, disgusted, in the mirror as she rinsed her jaws once again, the pink-red water spilling loosely into the basin and joining with the fresh water from the tap.

"You have a visitor," came a voice from behind her. She rinsed her mouth, then dried her face on the towel beside the sink.

"Thank you, I'll be down in a moment." Reflected in the mirror she could see the visitor walk away into the darkness of her bedroom, then leave out of the door. _She could still hear the screaming..._

_No Ebony, don't think about it_, she muttered inside her mind. She brushed her straight hair a few times then walked calmly out of her en-suite and through her bedroom, out of the door and into the main corridor. The marble was cool against her feet and she walked nervously to the main atrium, brushing a few bits of fluff from her dress as she elegantly walked down the stairs to where one hooded traveller awaited her.

"Good evening," said the hooded figure, dropping her cloak's hood and revealing her identity. Professor McGonagall. She looked tired and drawn, her face cold and pale and her eyes showing no life in their depths. Ebony almost gasped, but tried to remain dignified.

"Hello, what brings you here, Professor? So far from Hogwarts and your precious Gryffindors," Ebony snarled, aware of how spiteful it sounded.

"Professor Dumbledore has... He passed away, two nights ago," McGonagall answered, blinking away tears. However, her morbid news leeched forth the desired effect from the vampire standing before her. Ebony, she remembered, had been great friends with Albus, and now the... Could she call her a woman? Creature seemed to be incredibly upset.

"How?" Ebony asked simply, her voice becoming so terribly innocent Minerva wanted to hug her.

"I... A... Severus Snape, though..."

"Snape?" Ebony snapped.

"Yes."

Ebony spun on her heel and began to pace. "But you didn't come here to tell me that, did you," she asked coldly.

McGonagall shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I need... We need your help,Ebony."

"We?" Ebony chortled in return.

"Myself and the staff of Hogwarts, and the students. You..."

"I'm immortal, so it doesn't matter if Voldemort gets in there and tries to kill Harry

Potter, because I can just get in the way? Get screwed, McGonagall!" Ebony shouted, walking towards the steps.

"Remus is teaching."

Ebony froze on the bottom step. _Damn that infernal mortal, why did she keep stamping on my nerves?_ Ebony thought. She had two weaknesses - Albus Dumbledore and Remus Lupin. Oh, and her half-sister, Nymphadora Tonks, but she could take care of herself. "And?"

"He requested you personally, I said..."

"Liar!" Ebony screamed, tears building behind her eyes as desperation took over along with the temptation of plunging her needle sharp fangs into McGonagall's exposed neck. "I will come, but for no other reason than Albus, you understand me?"

"Thank you, see you on August 31st. Here, he left you this," Minerva replied, handing a small locket on a chain to Ebony, who didn't look up.

August 30th rolled around, and Ebony began packing to leave. She carefully folded everything into small, lightweight saddlebags, except a small hip flashed which she tucked into her cloak. The morning sun swept over her skin and she thought of all the vampires who were pure-bloods and could never feel the warmth sunlight could bring the skin, the immense joy it pushed into her blood as she loaded up her horse, Dark Illumination, who stamped impatiently. It was a two day straight ride to Hogwarts, and as she kicked his sides, she watched her home disappear from view.

It was raining when she arrived in Hogsmeade, Illumination foaming and panting. Hogwarts was lit up as the professors ate dinner, she presumed, and Illumination galloped up the driveway to the doorway.

"Always did like to make an entrance," a soft voice said from behind her.

"TONKS!" Ebony cried, wrapping both arms around her half-sister as they bounced on the spot whilst hugging and squealing. "How are you?"

"I'm great actually! How about you? Did you hear about Sirius?"

Ebony nodded gravely as she began to unpack Illumination, brushing his black coat off with her hand. "It was a shame, he... Oh, I don't know, shall we go inside?"

"What about your horse?" Tonks asked, watching him begin to graze.

"He'll be fine, I'll just be careful not to leave him out on full moon nights," Ebony stated as she shouldered her bags and took a sip of her flask. Tonks saw and realised with what price Ebony was here. "Don't look so frightened, dear sister, I had my fill of throats for this evening," Ebony teased.

"Of course, I trust you. You do realise though, that other things live wild in these grounds," Tonks said, darting after Ebony who had begun to walk inside.

"Yes, and I assure you, that by tomorrow morning, Illumination will be the reason none of them venture out. Where is my room?"

"This way," Tonks replied, taking a bag from Ebony and leading her up the stairs towards the professor's quarters. Her bubblegum pink hair slightly glowed under the candlelight, and Ebony couldn't help but smile at its brightness. Where Tonks had inherited the ability to change her appearance, Ebony was born an animagus and her alternate form was a burning white tigress. However, since being bitten, she struggled to control her need for blood as a tiger and so avoided it at all costs, which hurt, as she had enjoyed being the tiger.

"You enjoy teaching then?" Ebony asked conversationally, pulling her scarf up a little higher.

Tonks observed her doing this, but ignored it. "Yeah, it's great! A bunch of kids learning from the almighty fountain of knowledge that is Nymphadora Tonks? They'll be fine against Vol... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, see, 'cause they learnt it all from me!"

"Terrifying, truly terrifying thought that one!" Ebony laughed, drawing her gaze away from her sister's neck and taking another sip from her flask. Tonks had kept their father's name, but Ebony had stuck with her mother's maiden name; Malfetti.

"You're not... Teaching, are you, Ebbs?" Tonks nervously asked, trying to imagine her impatient sister teaching first-years potions.

"Not that I know of, I may dabble in Defence Against the Dark Arts, depending, as either a tutor or a subject. Most likely the latter, eh?" Ebony replied, trying to lift Tonks' mood.

"Here's your room, right next door to me and on the other side is Remus, you have an en suite in the back corner," Tonks said, stopping outside a wooden door and pushing it open and stepping into the candlelight within.

"They put the freaks together then?" Ebony said, placing her bags on the large double bed and snuffing out the candles.

"You're not, a freak," Tonks whispered, taking Ebony's hands. "You're my sister, and that's what counts."

"I am, Nymph, I am a freak. Let's face it; I'm the stereotypical teenage cock-up. Older man, my parents didn't trust him, but because they didn't like him, I wanted him more. Then... This." She ripped the black scarf from around her neck and the two, deep red puncture scars on her neck became visible. Tonks gasped and covered her face to try and hide her distaste and sudden fear. Ebony waited for the sensation to subside in Tonks before standing up and hanging her cloak up to dry.

"There has to be something... Some potion or..."

"There's no Wolfsbane for me, sweetie. There never will be, because vampires become vampires out of choice, supposedly."

Tonks nodded sadly, still sitting on the bed with soft tears falling onto her hands, which were over her mouth. "I wish... I wish that you had listened, I wish I'd have followed you I wish..."

"And I wish that you could be happy instead of worried. Know this though, I will never ever bite you, unless you were at deaths door and my venom could bring you life. Understand?" Tonks nodded again, wiping her face on her sleeve. "Little sister, what are we going to do with you?" Ebony said with a smile, sitting beside Tonks.

"Big sister, let's go an' eat," Tonks replied with a smile, grabbing Ebony's hand and dragging her out into the corridor and yelling 'CHASE ME!' Ebony rolled her eyes and patiently gave chase, memorising the way both to and from the Great Hall from her room. Tonks sprinted into the Great Hall, darting between the tables and Ebony pounced on her beside the Hufflepuff table, dragging her to the floor out of sight of the staff. Every teacher present sprang to his or her feet, wands ready.

"Tonks, scream loudly," Ebony whispered into her prey's ear. Tonks grinned mischievously and let out a scream, which Ebony stifled gently with her hand and nodded.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" came a unified shout and the Hufflepuff table flew over Ebony's head as she and Tonks wrestled, rolling over one another and giggling profusely.

"Want a hand?" Ebony asked, struggling to her feet and offering her left out for Tonks who grinned and took it, jumping to her feet then linking arms with her sister and leading her towards the table. Ebony saw the chair she was about to be parked in. Not there, not there, not there...

"Hello, Ebony," Remus said, pulling the chair beside him out. Apparently, Tonks was sitting in the one the other side of the empty_. Damn her and her stupid friendly nature_, Ebony cursed.

"Hello, Mo... Remus," she said coldly, sinking into the chair and tucking it in. _Just ignore him, the annoying little... Annoying man will just Apparate the hell away from you..._

"How are you?" he asked amiably, pouring her a glass of wine.

"Just peachy, thanks, how about you?" she asked, downing the whole glass and holding it out for a refill. He raised both eyebrows and filled her glass.

"Could be worse. You never used to drink like this, Ebony," he stated, concerned.

"I know! Blood was never on the main course before, was it?" she replied, taking this drink slower and hoping that was the end of the conversation.

"I suppose not. Do you remember when you bit James that day?"

"Actually, it was the middle of the night and you nearly ate a Muggle, so, yes, I do, and I did it with good reason." _Short and sweet, just ignore those stunning eyes staring at you..._

"More wine?" Tonks asked, nudging Ebony's shoulder.

"Yeah, whatever," Ebony dreamily replied. She'd been the year below the Marauders and a total outcast, but the Marauders had taken her under their (doubtful) wing because she was distantly related to Sirius. "Actually, Tonks, I think I'll have an early night. See you all in the morning," she called to everyone, hugging Tonks and walking out of the hall. She fell into bed that night, her body aching from withdrawal and her head spinning.

"Firs' Years! Firs' Years over 'ere!" came a loud, booming voice over the excited chatter down on Hogsmeade station. Illumination started slightly, his hind hooves digging into the cobbled street as Ebony fought to keep him under control.

"Ebony! Oi, Ebony!"

She rolled her eyes and span her horse around, leading the three quiet others along behind her towards Lupin who was waving her down.

"You did hear me! Harry, Hermione, Ron, this is Professor Ebony..."

"Malfetti, right?" Harry piped up, recognising the rider's face.

"Yes, you saw me in your parent's wedding photos. Hello, you are all getting the extra-special treatment, so I suppose these are your rides," Ebony said, indicating the horses behind her trying to graze on the verge slightly to her left.

"Yes, they are for them. Ebony will escort you up to the castle," Lupin said, releasing his gentle hold on Harry's shoulder then helping him into the saddle of a bay horse. Ebony rolled her eyes and, once the teenagers were all settled into the saddle, she kicked Illumination hard and he wheeled around and galloped off up the street, the other horses racing to keep up. She ginned evilly as she got to the castle doors and swung out of the saddle, patting Illumination gently on the side of his neck as the others slowly caught up.

"Nothing like a whirlwind ride in the morning to flick out the cobwebs, eh?" Ebony laughed, helping a windswept Hermione from her seat.

"No, nothing," Ron sarcastically remarked, his eyes taking every aspect of Ebony in.

"I'm sorry for my demeanour at the station, I am wary of large crowds," Ebony offered, standing beside Hermione.

"I suppose we can over look it, how are our belongings getting to our rooms?" Hermione asked, stepping towards Illumination who nuzzled out to her.

"You must be our new head girl, yes? Congratulations. Your belongings shall be in your dormitories when you arrive there, but for the meantime, shall we go and find ourselves some dinner?" The students nodded and followed her into the entrance hall and then to the Great Hall.

"What is she?" Ron asked Hermione densely. Neither she nor Harry had spoken since their altercation with Ebony, and now were shovelling food down their throats as quick as possible.

"A professor? I don't know, she seemed twitched though," Hermione impatiently responded.

"Nah, really? I'd never have guessed," Ron replied, rolling his eyes then turning his attention back to Ebony who was talking heatedly with Tonks. "I meant... Species wise."

"No idea. Doesn't look perfectly human though, does she?" Harry said, sipping his pumpkin juice hurriedly and watching Ebony.

"She isn't. Watch her closely, she's on edge though she's totally protected, her whole body's tense," Hermione observed out loud.

"I'll un-tenseify her!" Ron piped up, wincing as Hermione's toe connected with his knee.

"That's wrong, she's a teacher!" Hermione scolded, beginning to eat her cherry pie that had appeared on her plate. "Just... Very on edge, that's all. Probably with good reason."

"Yeah, 'cause women NEVER are on edge without good reason," Ron moaned, pouring a glass of pumpkin juice for himself and dodging Hermione's slap.

"You alright?" Tonks whispered to Ebony, who had gone even more pale than usual.

"No, I need to go, I'll..."

"Miss Malfetti?" asked a steady voice from the doorway. Ebony shakily got to her feet and bowed her head to Tonks before darting after the speaker.

"Lenera, I thought you'd never make it... Ugh..." Ebony grabbed her stomach.

"Yes, not a moment to late I hope? I cannot be dragging fresh corpses in and out of Hogwarts grounds unnoticed all term you know," Lenera replied, leading Ebony to where a brown horse stood tethered. "Solitaire... Shhhhh girl... There he is." Ebony spotted a long blanket draped over Solitaire's saddle.

"Thank you, I haven't had enough time to find myself a steady supply yet," Ebony grinned. Lenera rolled her eyes and helped Ebony, who was steadily growing weaker, onto Solitaire's back. She then took the reins and led the horse and her cargo towards the forest, following the beaten track. In the shadow of the trees, Ebony half-fell from the saddle and slumped to the floor with her back against a tree, and Lenera laid the body in her lap.

"You urm... Call me when you're... You know..."

"Yeah, I do. I'll give you a call, don't go far." Lenera nodded and mounted her horse, trotting off onto the forest path where she kicked the horse to get as far away from Ebony as she could. Ebony herself waited for her friend to be out of sight before she allowed her two-inch fangs to drop from the roof of her mouth and she stabbed them through the thin skin of the corpse's neck, punching through the artery and tipping the body, letting the cool liquid drain into her mouth and feed her passion. She rolled her head back and let her body relax as the blood seeped into every cell. Then began the fight. The fangs sank back into her jaw, and guilt overran her mind as she dropped the corpse and ran to the nearest bush and began to fight the urge to throw up, and just as she expected, she lost the battle.

"Here," Lenera whispered, handing her a flask full of water. Ebony nodded and sipped it, swilling her mouth out with a few last gulps.

"Thank you," Ebony rasped, "here's the potion."

"I thought I might, you know, hang around for a bit. Nothing better for me to do!" Lenera cheerfully said, toasting Ebony and draining the vial the vampire had handed her.

"Sorry about the flavour," Ebony smiled, watching Lenera's smile become a grimace as the sour fluid hit her tongue then crawled down her throat.

"That's... Blurgh... Foul, I hate this stupid curse!"

"I hate it too. Fancy a walk?"

"Yes, why not?" Lenera responded, linking arms with her friend. "I heard Tonks was somewhere around, teaching isn't she? Strange that one. Never liked you mother, did she?"

"She liked her own well enough. Still, we are fairly united on the front that Dad had the right idea having two girls. But, I mean, he had a one night stand with my mother so you can kinda see why Tonks isn't keen on her, can't you? Good job it was before Andromeda met Dad I guess. Still, he keeps in contact when he remembers."

"Got a memory like mine, has he?"

"Your memory is only bad because of Sirius Black's daft spell, so, sort of, yes." Ebony cringed slightly, and Lenera skilfully twisted the conversation away from their school days. More than just painful memories lay in wait for them both in their pasts.

"Please tell me you aren't teaching," she said quietly, nudging Ebony's side.

"Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence! No, I'm not, seeing as the only teaching I ever accomplished in my life was teaching you and Samara how to play bigger tricks on the Marauders than they could on you!" They both laughed as they rounded the corner where they could see the castle. "We'd better get back, dinner will be finished now and we should be able to sneak in without being caught."

"Back to hostility then?" Lenera asked nervously following Ebony across the slippery grass.

Ebony gently shoved her friend away. "As charming as ever!"


	2. Chapter 2 Lessons for Lupin

Ebony struggled awake the next morning, her whole body aching and screaming for something alcoholic or warm and red. She flopped out of bed and showered, and was applying her makeup when her door was knocked upon.

"Who is it?"

"Ivory."

"C'mon in Tonks," Ebony smiled in response to her sisters nickname.

"Did you sleep well?" Tonks asked, walking into the room and sitting in the armchair beside the fire, away to Ebony's left.

"Yes, my night was... Pleasurable, if you do not misunderstand the meaning. Yourself?"

"It was alright I guess... I missed you at dinner, where did you go?"

Lenera stepped out of Ebony's bathroom, fully dressed. "Morning Nymphadora," she said stiffly, pulling her cloak around her shoulders. "Thank you for letting me stay, Ebony, I shall return to Hogsmeade now. See you in a week," she stated, hugging her friend and walking briskly out of the door.

Tonks stared at Ebony with a look of slight horror.

"Oh please, she slept on the damn sofa! I have enough trouble finding attractive men Tonks!"

"So, what's a known bounty hunter and recorded werewolf doing in your bedroom?"

"She's... Supplying me with... Food, shall we say, in return for Wolfsbane potion. It's a set up I have used before, she's really very discreet... And married, happily, with a young son," Ebony added, watching Tonks' reactions closely.

"If you're sure, and you trust her. Oh, I came down to tell you, Minerva wanted to see you and Remus in her office at nine o'clock this morning."

"Nymph, it's five to nine!" Ebony exclaimed, pulling a brush through her hair and simultaneously tossing her cloak over her shoulders. "And now I have to run! Good luck with your lessons," and with that Ebony was gone, running down the corridor at full pelt. She darted down a narrow corridor and toppled to the ground when another body ran straight into her. "Stupid bloody students have you not... Remus, heh, urm..."

"Morning, Ebony, want a hand?" He asked, extending his own down to her. She sighed and conceded, taking it and stepping to her feet. "We're never going to make this meeting," he complained, brushing dust off his tattered robes.

She rolled her eyes. "Well then, we'd better run!" She grabbed his sleeve and took off at a full sprint, dragging him along and ignoring his grumbling that she was going too fast. They hit the main staircase at eight fifty-seven, and were standing outside the headmaster's office at nine o'clock precisely. "Now that is timing!" She panted, stretching.

"Oh yes... Tremendous timing... I hate running Ebbs..." He smiled at her, and she could resist smiling back, flashing her teeth and secretly glad that her fangs withdrew. He stared at her, and saw how much she had changed since they'd been at school. Her eyes were no longer a dull blue, but now a fiery brown with endless jet-black pupils at their centre. Her hair had lightened from mahogany to a rich red with lighter highlights consistently throughout. Even the red scars on her neck he could over look.

"I know, but it's good for you!" She smiled in reply, giggling slight as she finished catching her breath. "Look, Moony, lets scrap all this stupid hostility, friends?"

His smile took on a false, cold quality. "We used to be more than that."

"You know why we can never be more than that, not now, not after..."

"Morning Professors," Hagrid said, breaking the conversation.

"Hagrid, do you know the password?" Ebony asked, throwing her thumb towards the door behind her.

He shrugged, "no, sorry Professor! Oh, your... Pet was acting rather strange earlier, thought there might be sommat wrong with 'im."

"Oh, I see. Well, I'll be out to see him right after..."

"Morning Professor Lupin, Miss Malfetti. Please, come in," Professor McGonagall said loftily, leading them into what had been Professor Dumbledore9s office. "Please, take a seat and we'll get straight down to business."

Ebony tried not to giggle as she sat down in the plush chair beside the empty phoenix perch. "Yes, business. Why did you insist in dragging us to a meeting this early in the morning?"

"It's not early," Minerva scolded in response, sipping her tea from the cup. "Anyway, I do not need to explain my actions to you, vampire. I called you both here as I require you to return home."

Ebony's eyes brightened. "Home!" she squealed, her mind remembering her soft bed, warm covers and endless throats.

"Yes, for one simple reason. You must outrun Voldemort to the castle, or we will lose the allegiance of the vampire to our cause."

"None of them have signed a petty allegiance, none of them ever would."

"That's why she's sending us," Remus whispered, staring at his knees.

Ebony rolled her eyes and slumped back into her chair. "There's only one means of transportation that we can use to outrun Voldemort."

"Will he bare two people?" Minerva questioned, catching Ebony's inclination.

"No. However, Lenera-"

"She is a werewolf and a bounty hunter! She is not to be trusted!" Minerva shrieked, rising to her feet.

"Careful what you say," came an airy voice from behind her. "You never know who might hear." They all twisted their gazes to look behind the irate Headmistress and saw Lenera reclining in the window sill.

"How dare you enter my office without permission and armed to the teeth?" Minerva shrieked again, her voice becoming higher and squeakier with every word.

"I see what you mean Ebbs, tense! And anyway, don't you think it is giving your students the wrong idea to throw me from your office?" Lenera taunted, dropping out of the window ledge and landing beside Ebony.

"Lenera, just leave it, alright?" Ebony whispered, nudging her friend lightly.

"No thanks," Lenera stated, walking towards the headmistress, "distrusting me is going to be your last mistake Miss…" A high pitched squeal from Remus grabbed her attention, and she vaulted the desk and landed on his lap. She grinned manically before feeling Ebony's arms wrap around her and hurl her across the room.

"Lenera, try to control your insatiable appetite!" Ebony scolded, standing in front of the other two professors.

"Well, for you? Yeah, alright," Lenera responded, slumping into a chair. "You want to use Solitaire, right?" she asked, cleaning under her nails with a dagger from her thigh.

"Sort of. I need you to do me a favour," Ebony began, walking backwards and sitting on the steps. "Bring me a death eater, as soon as humanely possible."

"Two hours," Lenera cockily replied, getting up and walking out after tipping an imaginary hat to Professor McGonagall.

"Breathe Minerva," Remus cooed, sitting the stressed woman down into her chair and topping up her tea. "What's going on?" he asked Ebony who had gone incredibly pale and had her head in her hands.

"Dark Illumination, the name of my horse, correct?" she asked, not looking up.

"Yes, what about him?"

"He is no ordinary stallion. But... Only those who have... Witnessed a... A vampire in action can see what sets him apart, and you cannot believe in something you cannot see, can you?" He shook his head as he tried to absorb the absurd information, a look of mild horror on his face. "I never wanted you to have to see it but..."

"What is he? Illumination, I mean," he added hurriedly, stepping away from Minerva who was watching with mild exasperation on her face and shaking hands on her blue teacup.

"Part thestral, part horse and part Pegasus. He's a real mixture," she replied, stepping to her feet and turning her back on the others to stare out of the window. She could see the horse in question prancing around the grass with Solitaire, easily outrunning the mare.

"What will I see when... When I look upon him?" Remus asked shakily, trying to ask sensible questions that would draw his mind away from what horror he would be faced with in a few hours.

"A black coat, white skeletal face, legs and hips, skeletal horn on his forehead and a powder blue mane and tail, deep burgundy eyes and hooves the same. Thestral... Wings, wide and thin, covered in jet-black feathers with small claws on the ends." She sounded almost ashamed as she finished. "I'm... Going to go find him," she whispered, sprinting out of the room and tearing into the grounds. She raised her fingers to her lips and whistled loudly, pausing in the centre of the grassy bank. A loud whiney answered her whistle and Illumination thundered over the grass, his wings tucked close to his body and his head thrown into the air so his blue mane and tail flicked back in the breeze. She rested her hand on his face and gently patted him before catching sight of a very confused Lupin chasing after her. She rolled her eyes and swung onto Illumination bareback. "Show me the meaning of speed," she whispered into his ear. The horse stamped for a few moments before rearing then throwing himself forwards, just as Lupin got to the place she had been standing.

He watched the black horse reach the lake and circuit it before plunging into the darkness of the forest. He sighed, familiar dread he normally only experienced days before a full moon growing in his stomach as he remembered what he would be doing in a few hours. Was McGonagall mad? Sending a werewolf into a castle full of vampires? Might as well just kill myself now, he thought negatively, plopping down onto the grass. The sun was still burning brightly the last heat of the summer, and a few scattered fallen leaves littered the grass where the onset of autumn had begun and the chill wind kept the temperature moderate. Two sixth-year students ran out of the castle past him, hand in hand. They paused and kissed one another gently before running off again, giggling. He smiled and spread his cloak out behind him and laid back, dozing quietly in the warmth of the sun.

"WAKEY WAKEY!"

"Agh! Whosawoosawha?" Lupin slurred, jumping to his feet and seeing Lenera standing over him.

"Sorry," she giggled. Ebony rode up beside her and dropped onto the floor.

"Everything's ready, let's go," she said solemnly and lead them all down to the borders of the forest. There, in one of the glades tied to a tree, was a death eater by the name of Selene Bloodworth. Lenera conjured a chair for herself and Lupin, then plonked down and took Ebony's cloak across her lap.

"Look, please sit down. If you pass out, you'll hurt yourself," Lenera suggested. "Sit," She commanded, and inwardly smiled when Lupin obeyed.

Ebony stepped towards the captive and untied her bonds, drawing her neck towards Ebony's descended fangs. "I'm... Sorry..." Ebony whispered, before thrusting her fangs into the woman's neck. Her mouth filled up with warm blood gushing into her throat as she held her tight grasp with her fangs into the woman's neck and waited for her to stop struggling, which took less than a minute. The woman dropped to the floor dead and Ebony grabbed the tree she had been tied to for support, gripping her stomach as her human body battled with the vampire's mind.

Lenera glanced over at Lupin who had gone very pale. Down both cheeks was one simple tear, and as Lenera watched, he made no effort to hide them. She sighed and got up, walking slowly over to Ebony. "You alright mate?" She asked, resting her hand on Ebony's shoulder. Ebony nodded then shook her head before sprinting off into the darkness. Lenera sighed again and handed Lupin a tissue.

"Where... Where'd she go?" He asked nervously.

"Throw up. She needs it, but doesn't like it, rather like you and Wolfsbane. Leave her to it, she'll be back in a bit. You want a drink?"

"Is it Firewhiskey?"

Lenera nodded.

"Then yes please," he stated, downing most of the flash she offered to him. She took a sip herself then put it back into her saddle bag and looked up in time to see Ebony stumbling into the glade.

"I think we'd better get out of here," Ebony croaked, finishing the flask of water she had brought with her. "The centaurs in here aren't too fond of vampires," she smiled before raising her wand. "Accio Tack!" She called, waving her wand. From her room came flying Illumination9s saddle and bridle into her arms. Then, she whistled into the air. Lupin jumped back in horror as Illumination as his true self cantered into the glade, sniffed the air then trotted to his mistress, nuzzling his bony muzzle against her face. She tossed his tack onto his body and grabbed the reins, leading him towards Lupin. "We had better hurry, either you trust me or you don't," she said, holding one hand out towards him. He considered for a moment, then took it and allowed her to help him into the front of the saddle, in front of Illumination9s wing joints. Ebony, meanwhile, turned to Lenera. "Stay here and ensure no harm comes to Tonks. If one hair on her head is harmed, it shall be you I hunt first, you understand?" Lenera nodded meekly then mounted her own horse and cantered towards the castle. Ebony handed Lupin a scarf. "I've got impeccable self-control, but having a bare throat in front of me is just torture."

He grinned and tied it around his neck, noting that it smelled like she did. "I trust you," he whispered as she settled herself behind him, one arm wrapped around his waist and the other holding the reins.

"That's good then. Let's go!" she called, and Illumination took off like a thunderclap, out of the forest and into the open plains before spreading his wings and leaping into the air, narrowly missing the weathervane of the astronomy tower as he climbed. Ebony's grip on Lupin lessened as Illumination began to glide of the air currents and his wings beat less often. "Stunning view up here, isn't it?" she whispered into Remus' ear.

"Not bad, no! Is this how you came?" he replied.

"No, we did it the old fashioned way," she whispered back, checking the direction they were headed in against her compass.

"How long is this flight going to take?" he shouted over the roar of a Muggle jumbo jet which passed over the top of them.

"About an hour, give or take. And no, the Muggles can't see us," she giggled, watching his expression as the plane overtook them.

"That's good then, quite hard to explain a flying horse!" he said. It was the last thing either of them said until the castle drew into sight. Illumination began galloping in mid air and, just as he was sure he would fall, Ebony tightened her grip back across Remus' body as Illumination landed, his hooves skilfully taking the weight as he trotted over the draw bridge into the courtyard. Ebony dismounted first and helped Remus down and then grabbed him.

"Listen. Stick with me, do as I say, try not to speak and do not mention that you are a werewolf. I'm strong and respected, but if they know I brought a werewolf into their midst, neither of us would get out alive. Got it?" He nodded fearfully and followed her into the castle. A tall, beautiful vampiress floated down the staircase in a green dress, a black cloak about her shoulders and her hair down and perfectly straight. He beautiful grey eyes flashed over the new arrivals until she recognised Ebony and ran, helter-skelter, down the stair to embrace her friend.

"EBONY! How good it is to see you my dear!" the woman swooned.

"Samara, you are looking well! I am glad to see that William isn't keeping you from your rest," Ebony cheekily replied. Samara swooped forwards and hugged Remus.

"And you brought Moony! How charming!" Samara laughed falsely while Remus stood stunned.

"Of course. How are things in my absence?" Ebony asked, linking arms with Samara and striding through the halls, Remus jogging to keep up.

"Busy. My dear, you have only been gone five days! The castle would not fall apart that soon!" Samara said, waving her hand loftily in random gestures.

"Listen, Samara, drop the act, alright? I know William is from royal blood, but these airs and graces you are falsely acting are truly bloody annoying."

"Of course. Sorry mate, I just... Dracula misses you, you know," Samara said with a slight tone and a knowing smile, flicking a glance to see Ebony's reaction.

"Yes, no other moron is stupid enough to screw the prat, are they?" Ebony responded icily, opening the door to the main council chamber of the mansion. Samara stifled a giggle when Ebony jaw dropped, seeing Dracula sitting at the head of the table.

"Ebony, my dear, you look radiant tonight!" he said smoothly, touching her arm.

9

"Don't touch me," she snapped, ripping her arm away from him in disgust. She shoved him away from her and closed the doors behind Remus who was examining the room in awe. The high ceiling was lacquered in gold, while all down the walls were portraits of vampires and battles throughout time. In the centre of the mammoth room lay a long, mahogany table with chairs placed all around the side. Ebony pulled three out and took the centre one, while Samara took the one to her left and Remus her right.

The doors at the opposite end of the room flew open and the elders of the clan walked in. Dracula took his seat at the head of the table and the other two, Toskeppuron and Azasut took either side of him.

"Ah, Miss Ebony, Mister Lupin, glad you could make it. I hope you will remain respectful to my other guests," Dracula smiled as he indicated the doors through which Ebony et al had entered. These were thrown open and in walked Voldemort, flanked by Peter Pettigrew and Lucius Malfoy. His gaze swept across the room and paused for a split second on Ebony, before finishing its sweep, then he sat heavily into the chair directly opposite Ebony. Her body stiffened immediately as he caught her gaze.

"I can show no respect for murderers, traitors and down right bastards," Ebony growled in response and got to her feet, walking briskly towards the door with Remus in her wake. A quick spell from Dracula sent her sprawling to the floor.

"Do I have to kill you?" he asked, holding his wand above Ebony. She shook her head. "Good. On with the talks then, yes?" He left her on the ground and walked back to his seat, waiting with a smile to regain hers. She sat down and stared at the varnish on the table. "You two are here to discuss the vampires of the noble clan Almrit to join, as you put it, the good side. Whereas Lord Voldemort is here to give us ultimate power from the dark arts, as well as a certain potion that allows us passage through sunlight. Am I correct?" Both parties nodded.

"I can give you no potion, no power, just the truth and no lies, and the safe knowledge that you are doing what is right, for once in your life," Ebony responded, still staring at the table.

"And yet you are unable to look at your superior. Is that, fear I see in your face Ebony?" Voldemort asked maliciously. "It is, isn't it? Oh, how precious! But, you are not afraid to die, are you?"

"I've been dead for twelve years, I'm not afraid of death, nor pain, nor you," Ebony snarled, looking up and meeting the burning red slits that Voldemort claimed as his eyes.

"My Lord, if I may be so bold, she fears loss more than she fears anything else," Peter piped up.

"And you should fear no one but me Peter, for it shall be by no other means than my wand that you should fall," Lupin growled. Ebony subconsciously laid her hand against his shoulder forcefully, pressing him against the chair.

"Oh, look at this everyone, the werewolf silenced by his bitch!" Dracula commented sarcastically, and the rest of the table bar Samara and Lupin laughed along. Ebony snarled then threw herself in the form of her white tiger along the table and onto Dracula9s chest where she dug her claws in deep then her teeth into his shoulder. He wailed in pain until she let go and changed back into herself, walking slowly back to her seat.

"I'll see to it you get sent to a place where you'll be the bitch. Are you with me, or against me?" she shouted evilly, standing on the table with her arms outspread as she asked everyone and no one answered. "Because if you are against me, there is no one who can protect you. You know what I do to traitors," Ebony hissed the final word, staring at Pettigrew. "Speak up, esteemed colleagues," she called out, turning to face Dracula. "Would you sacrifice your immortality for him?" Ebony asked, indicating Voldemort. "And you Samara, would you sacrifice friendship? Family? Sisterhood?" Samara grabbed Ebony's hand.

"I'm sticking with those I trust," Samara whispered fearfully, glancing around. Like Ebony she was only a half-breed and held no position in the ranks. Ebony had proclaimed her rank as her own and taken it by force.

"And yet, the rest of you fear this mortal more than you would fear me? Fuck you all then,"9 Ebony screamed to them all. She did a quiet countdown, and as she reached one, spells fired at her from all directions. She grabbed Lupin and, using both her body and Samara's to shelter him, they made it to the door. "We'll get the horses, Samara, hurry and change! Get Will!"

Samara nodded and hurried up the stairs. She dropped her ceremonial robes and slipped on black trousers with a red top and her cloak over it. Her husband mirrored her and they ran down to the courtyard where Ebony was defending Remus with her wand and blades.

"GET ILLUMINATION AND GET OUT OF HERE!" Ebony screeched, locking blades with Lucius and losing rapidly. Lucius thrust his blade through her abdomen and she gasped in pain.

"EBONY!" Remus yelled, trying to get free from Samara and William holding him backed against a wall.

Ebony grinned suddenly and pulled the sword all the way through her body before grabbing Malfoy's collar. "Were you aiming for my heart?" she whispered, before pulling the sword out of herself and surging it through Malfoy. "You missed," she snapped. She turned and sprinted towards Illumination and threw herself into the saddle, leading the other.

"How did your meeting go?" Lenera asked as they all landed, Ebony first.

"Let us say that now we do not just have to worry about Death Eaters. The vampires have sided with Voldemort. He was there, and... I think I may have killed Lucius Malfoy, but I didn't stick around to take a pulse."

"Smart move, now they will be seeking revenge," Samara stated, walking up behind Ebony and resting a hand on her hot-headed friend's shoulder.

"And we will be ready. Both of you stay on full alert tonight. Allow Remus to rest, it's been a trying day," Ebony sarcastically stated, releasing the horses to run free. Lenera, Samara and William walked into the castle talking excitedly about the meeting. "You alright?" Ebony asked gently, walking over to where Remus was standing.

"Yes, just, promise me no more field trips to incredibly frightening locations," he replied smiling and keeping his gaze on the freshly risen moon.

"It's only a quarter tonight. Three weeks and three days, it'll be full," she sighed, sitting on the grass.

"Didn't know you followed the Luna cycle?" he replied, sitting a few feet from her.

"Old habits die hard I guess. Also, Lenera is a werewolf so her Wolfsbane must be ready for her at the right time," Ebony replied, laying back and staring up at the stars. "Do you ever wonder what life would be like now if neither of us had ever been bitten?" she asked at length, her eyes closed while she imagined.

"All the time, and I daresay a lot would be different, but much would be the same. It is not what happens to us, but what we do that shapes the path our lives must take," he pensively replied, watching the sun's rays finally die on the horizon.

"Mine seems to be a square," she said, grinning madly.

"And mine is a circle. Everyone I leave behind seems to come back to me," he said, glancing at her. She knew who he meant, but decided not to acknowledge the innuendo.

"Mine is a square because I live my life looking around corners to check my past isn't about to pop up and bite me in the arse," she said. He too knew who she meant, and he too decided to ignore the hidden meaning. Illumination tore between them, showering them in grass as he frolicked down to the lake which made them both giggle uncomfortably. "Listen, when... I... When I said I didn't love you, all those years ago, I lied, I mean... You're one of my... My best friends and... It's just... I was thinking today, I never got to say goodbye to you, you just... You left. I fell apart and now... Here we both are again. I hate fate," she winged, getting to her feet. "I've said far too much. Goodnight, Remus," she whispered and began to walk back towards the castle. She hadn't moved four steps when she sensed him moving behind her. He whipped her around and kissed her cheek.

"Night Ebbs."


	3. Chapter 3 Dark Creature, Dark Arts

Ebony tossed over onto the cold side of the pillow, heat from the fire toasting her toes and spreading up her body. She spread out in the double bed, feeling the chill on the colder sheets against her sweating skin. Dreams so passionate they made her body ache even as she lay there, panting and remembering as she stared at the ceiling. She couldn't understand it; he had been out of her life for so long, she had almost forgotten him. Almost.

"Ebony? Are you awake?" came a small voice at the door, accompanied by a knock.

"Even if I wasn't, you'd be trying to wake me anyway. Is Samara with you?"

"Yes." There was a paused and a shuffling of feet. Lenera and Samara knew better than to just waltz into Ebony's room from unfortunate past experience. "We have chocolate."

"Then yes, I am awake!" Ebony giggled. Her friends flooded into her bedroom and dived on her bed, both heavily laden with food and sweets and drinks which they spread out over Ebony's navy blue bed cover.

"Are you alright? You look like you've had a fever!" Lenera asked with her mouth full of fizzing whizbees.

"Yes, just… Very nice happy dreams. Where did you two get all this stuff?" Ebony responded, twirling a liquorice wand in between her fingertips like a blade.

"House elves. Anyway, what's happening with you? Haven't seen you in a while," Samara grinned, swallowing a pumpkin pasty almost whole.

"Oh yes, it has to be… what? Six hours since you both last saw me?"

"Don't be sarcastic," Lenera scolded, stunning an escaping chocolate frog and stuffing it down whole.

"Without sarcasm, I'd be nothing. Now, what are we going to do about Voldemort?" Ebony concluded before finishing the wand in her hand.

"Well, the Boy Who Lived has to have an attempt to fulfil his prophecy, but other than that, I'd say the path is clear for women to take over," Lenera began.

"Yes, never send a boy to do three women's job," Samara agreed.

"I agree, and would like to add never send a boy to do a mans job," Lenera smiled devilishly.

"I second that," Ebony giggled after slapping her friend gently with the non-sticky end of a new wand. She gnawed on it thoughtfully. "However, losing the vampire's will not help us; quite the opposite in fact, we are fairly well doomed with this situation. Voldemort is not stupid, he will utilise this new allegiance to his advantage and our downfall; we must be wary of every coming and going into this castle."

Lenera nodded. "Yes, very true, I do not think he is foolish enough to try a direct assault on the castle himself, but he has friends…"

"And Dementors," Samara interjected. "They have been revolting against the ministry officials for weeks now. I know I'm good at the Patronus curse, but I ain't that good."

"You'd try though, which is more than most. Dementors are too obvious; we're expecting him to use them. Now, Death Eaters are both powerful, expected and a right old pain in the proverbial," Ebony sighed bleakly. The others fell silent except for the sound of rustling as they devoured the rest of their feast.

"Well, we ought to leave you and get some sleep, eh Samara?" Lenera suggested, seeing the depressed expression across their friend's face.

"Yeah, see you in the morning Ebbs," Samara smiled, slipping off of the bedclothes and cleaning up the remnants of the food with a swish of her right hand. The two left wordlessly, Ebony watching them leave. She knew she would not sleep that night. She slipped from her bed and stole from the room, tossing her cloak over her shoulders and walking down to the grounds. The moon was a few nights from full and lit her way over the grass to the edge of the forest, where she stepped skilfully over fallen limbs, bushes and undergrowth onto a little known path. She lit her wand and strode into the darkness, every sense on edge and every tiny sound making her spin around. She never had dreams as raw and passionate as that for no reason. She'd dreamt of their death the day the Potters' died, but by the time she had got there, it was too late and the act had been committed. She had stolen away, unseen and unheard by the aurors that flooded the scene. Coward, she had been called by Remus when she had told him of the events. This had, ultimately, lead to the end of her relationship with him and the beginning of her relationship with blood. She sighed and blasted a few branches from her path and following it around the corner ahead of her. She came to the glade she sought, deeper into the forest than even Hagrid dared come at night, and settled onto the grass. She didn't know why her feet had dragged her here, why her body decided she needed to think. She sat alone. Isn't this how it always was? she whispered to herself. Her back itched, wings begging for freedom but without cause. Beyond Redemption she was labelled in heaven. There was no place for her here, she was told. She came back and feasted upon the first human she found. I don't need heaven, she told herself having drunk almost a whole bottle of Firewhiskey and lying in bed with Barty Crouch Junior, I've got sex.

"What are you doing here, Vampire?"

Ebony jumped to her feet and lit her wand, having extinguished it when she sat down. The blue light whisped over a tall centaur with palomino horse-half. "Firenze, how charming," she replied coldly, dimming the light slightly.

"You have no business here, now leave or..."

"Aw, pony boy is going to try and kill me, eh? How wonderful."

"Do not patronise me."

"I actually come seeking help. What do you know of Angels?"

"Only 10 have ever fallen from grace, though I have never met someone who had sinned so bad they were turned away."

"If you cannot answer me fairly, then I am leaving. Goodnight, Firenze," Ebony calmly replied, though her blood boiled at his insults. She lit her wand and stood up, walking back along the path onto the open lawn in front of Hogwarts Castle and shivering as the wind ruffled her cloak.

"I do not wish to pry, Professor, but why dost thou come and seek those you fear most?"

Ebony shuddered, the voice in the wind ripping at her insides. "Because to find answers you must face fear," she muttered, feeling like a prat for talking to herself.

"Thanks for agreeing to do this," Remus said to Ebony as they stepped into his classroom. She shrugged and sighed, dropping her cloak. Remus' face softened and, for a moment, he looked as though he was about to burst into tears. Her dress, strapless and corseted, showed deep scars up and down her chest and neck, some looking like acid burns, others like crucifixes pressed into her pale skin and others like ripped bite marks.

"I'll tell them all about it," she smirked, showing her fangs and turning around to sip from her flask. He saw deep wing-shaped scars embedded in her back, the gauges black and raw like they had just been carved. The class filed in; all of the seventh years, chatting in earnest but falling silent when they saw Ebony stood at the front, smiling wickedly and running her tongue over her fangs at intervals.

"Now, take your seats and open your textbooks to page 666-"

"Appropriate," Ebony teased. Remus shot her a meaningful look before turning back to his class.

"Miss Malfetti has agreed to come and talk to you all about the pros and cons of vampirism. Miss Malfetti, please take the podium."

Ebony bit her lip not to laugh before taking his place. "Ok, kids, I always think the only way to learn is to ask questions, so, ask away, I'll answer honestly and... Hurm... Cleanly as possible." A snigger reverberated around the room.

"What do you class yourself as? Human or monster?" Hermione asked.

"Neither. I'm evil, I'm down with being evil, and it's the easiest way to describe it. I'm nothing; not worthy of pity, or love, or care. I'm depraved; I rely on other people's blood to sustain my own worthless life. Next question?"

"Do crucifixes and garlic work?" A Ravenclaw Ebony didn't recognise shouted out.

"Crucifixes work like a bitch, but only if the person who is wielding it believes in it. Garlic? No, no effect, not on someone like me. New vampires actively avoid it. If, however, you were to produce a vial of blessed water and smash it on me, I would probably die," Ebony said, shuddering slightly and Lupin frowned in slight worry. She drew a blade from her ankle and, with one smooth slashing action, she ripped open the side of her dress and it dropped, leaving her in a loose fitting bottle-green bodice, but showing clearly the acid-burn like scar which covered much of her upper body. The girls gasped, even Remus fell back off his chair. "Wonderful stuff, wouldn't you say?" she stated slowly, pulling her dress back on. "Any more?"

"Stakes- do they work?"

"Let's stab you through the chest, Master Malfoy, and see what happens," she snarled in response, flicking her hair off her face.

"Are you really immortal?" he asked, dropping onto the stage and drawing a blade. Remus raised his wand but Ebony forced his hand down. She drew her own blade and parried Malfoy for a moment before purposely allowing him to thrust his blade into her abdomen. It only entered a few inches but she forced it through so her blood spilt all over his hands.

"Oh, blood on your hands, Death Eater?" He sobbed in response, and she wrenched the blade free from herself, letting it clatter onto the floor and wincing slightly as the wounds closed. "More stupid questions?" she snarled, her voice taking on the demonic, gruff texture she loathed. She grabbed her cloak and ran, her body shaking with the sudden and very real desire for blood. Staggering, she forced herself to the back courtyard before plunging her fangs into her own wrist, bleeding into her eagerly awaiting mouth and partially quenching her thirst. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing, letting her tears and blood mingle and pool on her face and lap.

"What a state," a quiet voice said. Ebony's head snapped up and she stared around, trying to locate it.

"Minerva, this isn't exactly a-"

"Friends, Ebony, aren't meant to only be there for the good times," she shrugged, stepping forwards and resting her hand on Ebony's shoulder.

"I need... God, just stake me! I don't deserve-"

"Ebony!" Lenera suddenly yelled, swooping down onto her friend.

"You look like crap," Ebony grinned.

"Hey, it's a full moon tonight!" Lenera shot back, hugging her friend tightly despite the blood.

"I'm going out," Ebony decided, striding away from the two women, "I'll be back tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4 Tactful Teaching

"You could have been more subtle, is all I'm saying," Remus called after Ebony as she stormed her way along the corridor after returning from her trip away to Hogsmeade to think.

"And just how often have you known be to be 'subtle', Remus?" she snapped back, not turning around to face him or giving him a dirty look. "You told me that they were seventh years, that they could cope. You want them to survive Death Eaters? Well, guess what, Vampire's and Death Eater's are now one and the same.They need to know what they're up against, be it vampire, human or other." She stopped then, so suddenly that Remus almost walked straight into her.

"Don't you even think about suggesting a lovely little werewolf demonstration," he said, a small smile on his face which grew wider when it elicited a grin back from her.

"You could have told me to keep it toned down," she smiled quietly.

"And you could have kept the gory details down," he replied. He was looking older, more tired, Ebony thought to herself, her eyes glancing over his shabby form.

"Ebony!" The vampire span on her heel and turned to seek the voice that had called her.

"Hermione?" Ebony said in answer, staring quizzically at the brunette hurrying towards them.

"Sorry, Professor Lupin, but Professor McGonagall wanted to urgently see Professor Malfatti in her office," Hermione panted.

"What? Why?" Ebony mused.

"She didn't say, but please hurry!" Hermione concluded, beginning to run back towards the castle. Ebony and Remus exchanged nervous glances before Ebony sprinted after Hermione, quickly catching up with the human.

"Was there anyone else in the room, Hermione?" she asked as she drew level.

"I don't remember, I don't even remember being summoned to her office." Ebony gulped and felt the small amount of colour drain from her face.

"Go and fetch Professors Lupin and Tonks please, Hermione. Wands out, tell them," she ordered, and the young woman ran off in the direction of the professors quarters while Ebony leapt the stairs to the Headmasters office.

She ripped the door off it's hinges and stepped through, feeling the flat side of a blade smack across her ribs, breaking what felt like her brestbone and winding her. "Good, you still follow orders," Dracula snraled, watching Ebony struggle to reach her feet. She made a small noise, but was still struggling to breathe. "Now then, where is Samara?" Dracula asked her. Ebony shook her head, and the older vampire brought his boot down against her face. An explosion of stars covered her vision and she found she had enough air to make a noise that was basically a sob. He picked her up by the front of her robe and, for the first time, Ebony saw McGonagall tied up and frozen solid by some curse or another. She made eye contact and sent positive vibes to the other woman. "Now, I ask again, where is Samara?"

"Why is she so important?" Ebony managed to gasp even as blood trickled into her eyes. He pulled her free from the wall and tossed her pointlessly to one side. She barely winced as her ribs hit the floor.

"You know why," he snarled as response, stepping towards her with his wand raised.

"Of course I do, but that means I'm even less likely to tell you," she replied, struggling to her feet and shooting a forced dissaparate charm at the other vampire. Instantly he froze, shuddered and vanished. "I'm so sorry, Minerva," she said, hurrying across the room and freeing the Head Mistress from her binds.

"I assume you plan on sharing with me the importance of your young friend," she said once she had downed a fresh cup of tea Ebony transfigured from a waste paper basket.

"Oh, yes, I suppose I had better. Samara is carrying William Denby's son. The last of the Pureblood bloodline. It's hardly suprising Dracula wants it; it's blood can make a mortal immortal, and vise versa. I can foresee Voldemort liking the idea of that," she explained grimly, sipping at her hip flask. As the cool, fresh blood slipped down her throat, she felt her breastbone repair and the gash upon her face close and seal. "Of course, that would rather stuff up our defences," she concluded, her eyes burning like dark fire.

That moment, Remus and Tonks flew through the door, wands drawn, both looking ready to fire. "Don't worry boys and girls; no fire here anymore," Ebony said with a smile, before turning her mind to planning for Samara's safety.


	5. Chapter 5 Visits from the Dark Side

Samara was deeply asleep when Ebony entered her room. Ebony hovered in the doorway, watching the sunlight through the stained glass window in front of her fade to black. She sighed and hoped that Lenera and Remus would be alright, as it was a full moon that night before moving to wake up Samara.

"Wake up lovely," she whispered, settling on the bed and shaking the other vampire's shoulders.

"Hmm?" Samara answered groggily, looking up at her friend. Her eyes struggled to focus for a moment, but then realisation dawned and she smiled. "I was wondering when you'd come and visit," she said with a grin, slipping to the edge of her bed and finding her slippers. She paused and looked up at Ebony, who was chewing one of her finger nails. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Me? Well, apart from the fact that Dracula tried to kill me-"

"Again?"

"Yes, again," Ebony explained impatiently. "Back to the point. You are pregnant with Will's sprog, yes? It's going to be born the most famous and most powerful vampire known to darken a doorway,." she told Samara, a dark expression on her face. "Therefore, the time has come for you to get the hell out of here. If Voldemort gets a hold of your kid, Harry Potter wont stand a ice cubes hope in hell against him. Remember Samara, it's difficult to kill something that is immortal."

"So, other than the fact I need to go into hiding, which I am not going to do, that was all you woke me up for?"

"Why not?" Ebony cried in dispair. "You want to be around for the next time that power-hungry monster-"

"Monster, Ebony? Pot calling the kettle a little, don't you think?" A funny look crossed Samara's face; a mixture of a glazed expression and fear. The fear told Ebony that Samara was still in there.

"Maybe you ought to go home, Samara. You don't seem interested in saving anyone anymore," Ebony growled, turning to Samara's belongings and packing them with a swish of her wand. "Use the appiration hotspot outside. And if any of those Vampires show themselves her again, I wont be merciful Tell them that." What Samara hadn't seen was Ebony slip a note into her cloak pocket, hand written in Ebony's cursive style.

"Maybe," Samara answered, turning to leave and striding out the door. Ebony slumped down the wall and put her head in her hands, which is where she sat for almost an hour before a long wolfish howl drew her attention to the window. She strode over to the beautiful glass work and stared out of the window. The moon was high and, on the lawns stretching down to the forest, Ebony could see two wolves playing. Illumination and Solitaire were grazing near to the lake, away to her left, prancing in and out of the shallow water. She sighed and put her head in her hands, slumping to the floor. Pink blood-coloured tears dribbled down her face, cutting thick, pink rivers down her pale skin and flooded out over her hands, between her fingers.

"You ought not to cry, Ebony." Ebony leapt to her feet and glanced around her room, not seeing anyone. The voice had, she was certain, belonged to Barty Crouch Junior. She and her friends had gone to school with him, spent 7 years with him; she'd have recognised his voice anywhere.

"Why did you put Samara under the Imperius curse?" Ebony asked the room at large. There was no reply, and just as she assumed that she was, in fact, going mad, an answer returned to her.

"I didn't have anything to do with that," he replied.

"Where the hell are you?" Ebony finally snapped, every hair on her body standing on end in fear and alertness.

"Occulmency," came the reply. "You never were very good at it."

"I know that," Ebony replied in her head as she walked out of the door, locking it behind her and striding down the corridor to her own room. "I thought the Dementors got a hold of you, a few years ago."

"The Dark Lord had already brought them over to our cause. Well, his cause," Barty told her as Ebony flopped onto her own bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I thought you agreed with him, Barty," she jeered in response, sending him a mental projection of an argument similar to this they'd had before. "I'm not going to be there to save you're ass again, Barty," she scolded with a sigh.

"I'm not asking you to. I've made my bed this time, I need to face the consequences." There was silence and, just as Ebony considered checking if he was still there, Barty came back through, sounding nervous. "Samara just got back. How long before she drops the baby?" he asked her.

"About two months, I'd say."

"Ebony, you have to get her out of here, because they're going to kill her as soon as that kid is born."

Ebony sat bolt upright on her bed. "What?" she asked incredulously.

"I have to go. Stay safe." And he was gone. Ebony snapped to her feet and, grabbing her wand from her bedside table, she hurried to the corridor to do some research.

"What's the matter with you, Crouch?" asked Malfoy, standing beside Barty as the two of them moved through the dimly lit passage way towards Lord Voldemort's private reception room, where Samara was being interrogated. She had barely been back at the castle ten minutes before Voldemort summoned her. Barty shook his head gently and replied hastily to Malfoy's question.

"Nothing, Malfoy, just thinking," he replied as he left Ebony's mind and stated the password to allow them entry to the room. Barty reflected that, in all the time her had been at school with the three girls, he had never really spent that much time with Samara. Seemed like he'd have his chance though, seeing as Lord Voldemort's plan was to have Barty guard Samara locked in a cell until her baby was born, away from blood and from everything else she knew. As the entered the room, Samara was bound to a chair at the centre and Lord Voldemort was standing in front of her, his wand poised in his right hand.

"Imperio Liberati," Voldemort said with a swish of his wand. Samara's stupified expression returned as she was freed of the Imperius curse.

"What? Where.. Where am I?" she asked, glancing around. She suddenly look up into the face of You-Know-Who and her heart skipped a beat, her baby kicking in her stomach.

"Welcome home, Samara," he said, a cruel smile on his face.

"How did I get here?" she questioned in a small, scared voice.

"Ebony sent you away, said you were too dangerous, unpredictable to be around so many children at Hogwarts," Voldemort stated, twisting the story from it's truth, turning Samara against Ebony. "She told you that you weren't to be trusted; she didn't trust her best friend. She chose Lenera over you, Samara." Samara's face contorted in internal agony, tears flowing readily down her face as her brain registered the betrayal. Voldemort leaned closer to Samara's face and whispered so only she could hear, "Welcome Home."

"Thank you... Master," Samara replied, a small part of her heart dying - the part she had kept always for Ebony. Wormtail moved forward to pour a small amount of Veritaserum into Samara's mouth and she drank it down."Ask me what you will my Lord; I will tell you anything."

"Very good, Samara. Is Ebony Malfatti working at Hogwarts?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes," Samara replied, a glazed expression on her face.

"How much does that dirty halfbreed know?"

"As much as I told her. She knows what you plan to do with her." Voldemort raised his wand to perform the Cuciatus curse on Samara, but Will stepped in front of him.

"She is pregnant with something you want," he pleaded. Voldemort dropped his wand hand back to his side.

"Very well. Does she know that you are pregnant?"

There was a short pause before Samara answered. "Yes, she does. She also knows when the baby is due and what this will mean to you and all your little friends."

Voldemort laughed and the Death Eaters obediently chuckled along with him. "Does she indeed? Does she."

".. And then he just disappeared," Ebony told Tonks, Remus and Lenera at Breakfast the next morning.

"So you have to go back there to rescue Samara?" Lenera asked, buttering her croissant carefully.

"Yes."

"Somewhat counterproductive, wouldn't you say?" Remus added, pouring himself some more coffee. The two werewolves didn't look as bad as they usually did after a full moon due to Ebony's expert Wolfsbane potion.

Ebony nodded as she swallowed her mouthful of bacon covered in ketchup. "Well yes, but it seemed safer than letting a vampire under Lord Voldemort's control wander as she pleased among all these little darlings," she explained, indicating the school sat in front of them with her fork. "Also, I would like to think that Barty, thanks to our communication last night, will keep and eye on her."

"He's a Death Eater!" Tonks replied, spraying them all in toast. She blushed and swallowed hard as they all brushed half-chewed toast particles off their clothes. "How can you even consider trusting him?"

"Because he's the best we've got?" Remus put in, using his wand to stir his coffee. "I think, under the circumstances, you ought to tell Harry what's going on."

"What, and let it get back to Minerva? She'll roast Ebbs alive," Lenera replied with an incredulous look on her face.

"Indeed. I think, though, the true weight of this situation should be explained to Harry and his little cohort of friends. He should be kept in the light, not the dark," Ebony argued, pushing her finished plate away from her.

"I think you have a point there," Remus agreed.

"And not just on the top of your head," Tonks said, recieving unimpressed sighs from the other three.

"He doesn't stand a chance against an immortal Voldemort," Lenera sighed, a pensive look on her face.

"Well, we just have to make sure that Samara's baby doesn't fall into the wrong hands. In the meantime, we just continue like we know nothing. Let's hope Barty comes through again."

**_A/N _**

_I know the last chapter was kinda short, but I hope this one makes up for it! It's been too long since I updated this, I hope I'll be able to keep up! Please please Review for me! Thank you for reading!_

_Note; Though it is often considered true that Vampires cannot get pregnant, I thoughts that as Samara is only a halfbreed, she would be able to have offspring. Sorry if this is confusing or anything!_


	6. Chapter 6 Not Bad, but Worse

"She looks like rubbish," Barty thought to himself, looking through the bars to where Samara was curled in a ball. Her normally slightly coloured skin was pale and drawn, and her bright eyes had strangly lost their glow. Barty shook his head and returned to reading the book stretched on the table in front of him, finger following the lines as he read them. His mind began to wander, until he found himself back talking to Ebony.

"What do you want?" she asked gruffly.

"Wow, what's wrong with you?" he asked in reply.

"That would be the fact that I'm looking after a Potions class and trying to make it obvious that I'm talking to someone in my head."

"Oh; sorry," Barty said sheepishly, returning to his book.

"Ginny, please stop copying," Ebony called to the young red-head who turned her head instantly from the boy she was copying off of and began staring intently at her own work. Ebony couldn't believe that Tonks hadn't appeared to teach today; she'd apparently caught the Flu. Ebony had chortled into her morning pumpkin juice at that. Still, it gave the vampire a clear hour to think away to herself while the sixth years struggled through a question paper Tonks had created. She sighed and leant back in her chair, thinking about Samara. So enveloped in her thoughts was she that when the bell rang, she had to catch herself on the edge of the desk to save falling over.

"Erm, you may all leave, have a good day," she told the class, picking her cloak up and throwing it around her shoulder before striding out of the room. Remus had called Harry, Ron and Hermione into a meeting with Ebony, Lenera and himself, and Ebony decided it would be bad practice to appear late. So, as she fought her way through the crowd rushing to their lessons, she inscessantly checked her watch.

"So nice of you to join us," was the greeting she got from Lenera when she finally fell through the door of Lupin's office.

"Shut up you," she snapped back, panting slightly as she slumped into a chair. "Sorry I'm late, damn traffic jam in the Entrance Hall."

"No worries," Remus replied. "Now then, Harry, we believe that Lord Voldemort is seeking to make himself immortal by drinking a pureblood vampire's blood. Now, this-"

"He is already immortal, Professor," Harry said in a quiet voice.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Lenera asked, leaning forward in her chair to look at the young wizard more closely. Ebony saw a fresh cut down the side of Lenera's face, and felt her stomach perform a sickening lurch.

Harry looked between Ron and Hermione before answering. "Well... Last year, Professor Dumbledore was teaching me about Voldemort and..." Harry looked down at his feet, trying to find the words to say. "Professor Slughorn had a memory about the young Tom Riddle... That's Voldemort... He made Horcruxes."

There was a silence so load it seemed to deafen the people sitting in it. Lenera was the first to move, and she slammed her ciar to the floor and looked out the window, muttering profanity. Ebony and Remus exchanged uncomfortable looks before Ebony threw her head into her palms and shook it slowly, while the young wizards and witch just looked into space, hoping one of the adults would speak first. "How many did Professor Dumbledore manage to destroy before... Well, before the end of last year?" Lupin asked.

"I think three out of six... Maybe more, I don't know," Harry answered, not looking up to meet his worried Professor's gaze.

"Then we have little to worry about where the Vampire's are concerned," Ebony said, looking around the room. "It now makes little or no difference if he drinks Samara's baby's blood or not; if we don't find those Horcruxes, Harry, you wont be able to kill Voldemort."

"What if it's not my job to do it?" Harry asked, a tone of panic in his voice. "Just because Voldemort made that prophecy important doesn't mean it is!"

"That's Dumbledore talking, Harry," Ebony argued back, trying to neutralise the boy's anger.

"Professors!" Ebony was on her feet as the young boy crashed in through the door.

"You should have knocked, Kevin," Remus said, not unkindly.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but... Professor McGonagall asked me to fetch Professor Maltaffi immediately!" Ebony glanced at Lenera before grabbing the werewolf's sleeve and tearing out of the door. She lead the way to the Headmistresses office, spoke the password and covered the stairs in a few leaps.

The doors had been repaired since Dracula's appearance, but Ebony blasted them apart and stepped into the office beyond in full fury. "I am not your pet corpse to be summoned whenever you see fit, Minerva!" she shouted, her eyes glowing a deep red.

"And I would not have called for you if this was not of the utmost importance," Professoer McGonagall replied calmly, which only served to infuriate the vampire further.

"So? Deal with something yourself for once! I can't catch every Death Eater, or kill everyone or anything else!"

"I know that. What I was going to ask you to do was to take a trip down to Hogsmeade. I believe, from what I have heard, that a certain Werewolf has decided to pay us a visit. In fact, there has been suggestion of several wandering around near to the school."

"Fenrir," Lenera said quietly as she stalked into the room. "It's him, isn't it?"

Professor McGonagall glanced at Ebony who was still fuming, before answering, "yes, it would appear so."

"I have no immunity to werewolves; I'll be weaker than a human against him," Ebony put in agitatedly.

"Does he know you, Miss Malfatti? Or your sister, Nymphadora Tonks?"

"No, I suppose not."

"Then I need you two to go and find out as much as you can about what he is doing here. I have spoken to Nymphadora, and she seems more than happy to attempt this for the Order's sake."

"Don't blackmail me with the bloody Order, please spare me," Ebony mocked, standing up. "Where is Tonks really?"

"Doing a small amount of investigative work into Fenrir and his habits," Professor McGonagall replied. Ebony didn't look at her directly, just turned and walked out of the office. "Lenera, can I accept Ebony's behaviour as a yes?"

"I'd go with that, yeah," Lenera replied before darting into the corridor to follow Ebony.

"I'm not certain this is a good idea," Tonks confessed to Ebony as they wandered their way down the winding path from the castle and into Hogsmeade.

"Me either, but we have to give it a go," Ebony responded, moving her rucksack around a little to settle it better on her back. "If we can figure out why they're here, maybe we can do a touch of pre-empting any strikes they have planned. Though it wouldn't suprise me at all if they were just using Hogsmeade as a go-between stop over type location."

"I hope you're right. I managed to get us two rooms at the Hogs Head, even if that mad old bat Sybil Trelawny thinks the beds have bed bugs," Tonks informed her sister, stepping cautiously around a puddle. "Apparently we ought to keep an eye on books in the bookcase as well."

"I always told you she was off her flaming rocker," Ebony laughed, smiling up at the stars.

"When she told me that she had 'forseen' Sirius' untimely demise, I asked her how he died. Apparently is was in a rather nasty chariot accident in Rome." This story brought a laugh from both the girls as they continued their walk.

"Funny to think, last time You-Know-Who was doing his thing, you were still at Hogwarts," Ebony thought outloud.

"And you were still human and working as an Auror, going out with the rather dishy Remus Lupin," Tonks said with a gentle scold in her voice.

"Yes, everyone's favourite werewolf, hmm?" Ebony replied, not dwelling on the past.

"Not like Lenera. Never went for bad boys, did she?" Tonks wondered.

"Look who she married! Prefect, Headboy, Quidditch Captain? Tom had it all when we were at school, but boy didn't he know it."

"Stuck up?"

"Just a little." The Hogs Head was right ahead of them and, when Ebony opened the door, Tonks' reply was lost in the crowd noise.

**A/N**

_Starting to get closer to the interesting bits, hope you're enjoying! Thanks for reading, CS xxx_


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